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As soon as Clarisonic released the pink Mia I hurried to
Sephora to get my own. We’ve been in a pretty intimate relationship since then.
That is until I tried the Spa Sonic.

• The Spa Sonic is battery operated, whereas the Clarisonic requires a
charger.

• The Spa Sonic brush head physically rotates in a circle, whereas the Clarisonic
brush head vibrates.

• The Spa Sonic has no time, whereas the Clarisonic is programmed to run for one
minute.

• The Spa Sonic includes four different attachments including: face brush, body
brush, pumice stone and facial sponge. My Mia is only a facial brush.

The Clarisonic is notably the Rolls Royce of skincare
brushes, because of the technology behind it. However the Spa Sonic is a
fabulous runner up and is a great choice if love spa luxury, but don’t want to
drop serious cash on a Clarisonic.

First dates can be incredibly awkward.
He might ask you where you’d like to go – hello nerves! It can be a stressful
decision to make, but you don’t want to say “I don’t care” and have him
thinking you can’t make decisions. So here are five first date ideas that are
sure to make the meeting process a little less stressful.

1. Coffee. A coffee date is a comfort date at it’s best. It’s not an
overpowered surrounding and should offer a level of comfort. Even if you do not
drink coffee (I don’t – I’m a chai tea girl) most places have plenty of other
options.

2. Nature Walk. Go hiking on a short hiking trail and pick a place to stop and
take in a gorgeous setting for a couple minutes.

3. Zoo. Walking through a zoo can help both of you feel comfortable with each
other. Plus who doesn’t love animals?

4. Bowling. As cliché as it may be bowling can be a lot of fun and a little bit
of rivalry on a first date can always spice things up.

5. Vineyard or Brewery Tour. Vineyards have a romantic appeal with brewery
tours will offer more fun.

Fall is upon us, the leaves are changing, our lives are
shifting and everything has its place and time. As of late my life has flipped
the script, and I’ve found myself dating again for the first time in a long
time. As you may have noticed I’ve posted a couple times about dating notably
here and here.

After such positive feedback I decided Sunday nights would be
perfect for a little relationship gab session. We’ll talk about date ideas, how
to know if he’s into you, the best date I’ve ever gone on, share some of your
stories and get feedback on what you want to see and know. So join me each
Sunday evening, beginning tonight! -We can even possibly start having Twitter chats!

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine all ingredients in a bowl.
3. Shape the dough into two logs, about two inches wide each.
4. Place on a cookie sheet that has parchment paper or a non-stick baking mat
on it.
5. Bake the dough for 20 minutes.
6. Move to a cutting board and slice the dough into biscotti-style biscuits,
about ¼ inch thick.
7. Place back in the oven and bake for another 20-30 minutes. If you want these
to be crunchier, turn off the heat and leave them in the oven.
8. Cool, before serving.
9. Store in an airtight container for up to three days. In the refrigerator for
seven days or in the freezer (this is what I do) for up to six months.

Note: I used all-purpose flour, you could use wheat flour I do not because it gives Jack really bad gas.

This weekend I had a few bananas on my counter that were in
dreadful condition, the temperature outside had dropped and it created the
perfect opportunity to do some baking. I combined a few different banana
recipes that I found online to create these delicious banana cake bars – trust me
you won’t be able to just eat one!

Directions
1. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar.
2. Add eggs, sour cream and vanilla.
3. Combine flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture.
4. Stir in bananas.
5. Spread into a greased 15x10x1 inch baking pan.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the
center comes out clean.
7. Allow to cool.
8. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla.
9. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar until you achieve the consistency you
like.
10. Frost cooled bars and store in the refrigerator.

It’s funny, we know our self worth and how we should be
treated when we’re single. Then suddenly, we meet the guy that shows us some
flattering attention, and we’re knocked off our game. Those ideals and standards
you carried for your future boyfriend sail right out the window. Our friends
hear our justifications as to why he doesn’t need to be this or that. Then one
day we wake up, and wonder how in the world we ever got to this place with this
person who isn’t at all what we imagined. Now we question if our hopes and
desires are unrealistic and maybe the way he mistreats us is our fault and that
we somehow deserve to settle.

How can you fix this? It goes back to something
completely simple…. create a list that will serve as the basic framework for
qualities to keep an eye on when you're dating and meeting new guys.

Three things most of us will have on our list: protective,
patience and kind

Putting a new playlist of upbeat music together always motivates me to
get myself ready to break a sweat, whether it’s a run on a trail or at home
circuit training. What’s currently on your playlist? Here is my lastest
playlist:

As you can probably tell my blog posts have become fewer and further in between. Don't worry i'm working on getting back on track. In the meantime do we follow each other on Instagram? I post plenty of pictures including what i'm wearing that day - something I know many of you have asked for me to post for awhile now. So let's be insta friends! Follow me here.

A few months ago I found out that I am allergic to gluten. Getting accustom to gluten-free products has been a challenge. When you get a cookie craving good luck everything taste terrible - that is until I tried Enjoy Life's Crunchy Cookies - they taste like a REAL cookie. I am beyond excited to have found a cookie that actually taste amazing and won't make me sick! The best part they come in all the flavors you could want - Chocolate Chip, Double Chocolate, Sugar Crisp and Vanilla Honey Graham (perfect for s'mores!). I highly recommend these cookies! Especially if you or your kids have any allergies. They're free of the most common allergies!

Fall is my absolute favorite time of the year. Zoya's two new fall collections Entice & Ignite create the perfect fall color wheel. These colors will definitely get you in the mood for fall.

Entice features six perfect fall creme hues.
Claire is a chocolate burgundy.Genevieve is a steel gray/blue.Margo is a deep berry purple. Nyssa is a neutral milky chocolate brown.Ryan is a dark navy blue. Veronica is a deep berry creme.

Ignite features six glittery shimmer shades. Autumn is the quintessential metallic copper orange shimmer.India is a deep burgundy with gold, red and purple flecks. Remy is an ocean blue with flecks of gold and turquoise.Sansa is an eggplant hue featuring gold and purple shimmer flecks. Teigen is a red raspberry hue loaded with gold shimmer. Yuna is a aquatic blue/green polish featuring flecks of gold shimmer.

Who doesn't love Rice Krispie treats? Obviously I might have a slight addition as you can see here and here. This weekend I took them to a whole new level with the addition of Nutter Butter cookies. If you like peanut butter I highly recommend making up a batch of these to warm your house as we've officially entered October!

Directions1. Spray a 9x9 or 8x8 pan with cooking spray.2. In a large pot over low heat melt the butter. 3. Add marshmallows and stir until melted. 4. Remove from heat. 5. Stir in krispie cereal and cookies until coated in the marshmallow mixture. 6. Press firmly into the pan. 7. Allow to cool before serving.